North Korea has strongly denied allegations tying it to the historic $6.3bn cryptocurrency theft from Binance. Pyongyang termed the claims absurd rhetoric.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un and director of the General Affairs Department, said the accusations represent a sinister attempt by the US to harm the image of Pyongyang.
US investigators point fingers
According to the FBI, the Secret Service and cyber analysts, North Korea orchestrated the breach, described as the biggest in history. Investigators pointed to the state-backed unit TraderTraitor, also known as the Lazarus Group.
The FBI has urged industry partners to assist in blocking transactions tied to crypto accounts linked to the group. Pyongyang has repeatedly faced claims of using cybercrime to fund its sanctioned economy, including a $1.5bn hack of Bybit in 2025, but it has denied all such allegations.
“The US has made a trite provocation of linking it with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea again.”Kim Yo-jong
Impact on Binance platform
Binance revealed that early checks showed an engineer's laptop was compromised, allowing unauthorised withdrawals. Trading has since restarted after the firm coordinated with issuers to freeze impacted funds.
The company stated that users withdrew more than $3.6bn in assets once operations reopened, while assuring customers it has covered roughly 95% of the stolen assets and will cover all losses.
